Cadet: Thanksgiving Dinner at 42
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ― Marcel Proust
With the holiday season happening now and Christmas/New Year’s around the corner, all I can say is that I am beyond happy with the beautiful souls I have met at 42. I have said this many times, but I honestly enjoy the people here and the memories I have made. This Thanksgiving dinner left me with a memory that I will never forget nor replace with any other. I was impressed with so many instances of today, and all I could say is I slept well, reminiscing the beauties of what occurred today, enjoying every moment. I’ve been left speechless by tonight, happy to be with my friends — happy to be here in this world. But, you may be a little confused reading this at first. You may be wondering what brings this warmth inside of me — this smile plastered upon my face. You may be curious about my thoughts, and, here, I will share them. Well, some of them.
Unfortunately, 42 is not having a Thanksgiving dinner this year. The dinner that was organized was only for the 42 staff but not for the general population. This kind of bummed me out, but I purposely chose to stay at 42 to celebrate some moments with my friends here and make memories that I perhaps never would have made otherwise. My goals were accomplished, and I am beyond happy with the results.
With this week being rather chilly and dreary as most would say, with the clouds blocking out the sun and the rain making everything damp, I actually see this week as a time of renewal and friendship. The coldness encourages some to stay inside but that also allows for people to bond and cuddle around a “fire,” enjoying meals together. The rain refreshens the air. I have always loved seeing the rain growing up — water. It calms me down, and I know that someone is out there, looking over someone else. My own version of what most people would call “God.” Beauty. Kindness. Magnificence. Moments that I will always remember and cherish. One of the best holiday gifts I’ve received. A memory.
Today began with a turkey outside of 42, greeting me. Gobble, gobble, it goes. What a brave turkey it is for coming out of its hiding and walking up to the 42 campus. Here, there are quite a few hunters, people who have hunted deer, snakes, etc. I’m surprised to see the turkey here, just walking around, minding its ow business. It’s Thanksgiving. I hope that it lives. Anyways, onward to the main part of the story.
Remember KM? The philosopher. He put together a Friendsgiving event that blew my mind out of proportions. We grabbed some supplies from the groceries, he went to grab some additional surprises for the party, and we created magic without needing to use much heat. Easy to do. Wash. Chop. Clean. A little Friendsgiving dinner. What did we make? Sushi. Our own versions of sushi. We bought items ranging from the traditional caviar to salami and crackers to olives to chocolate to blueberries to corn, etc. In other words, we bought things that perhaps would never be found in sushi. I inquired why. He wanted to make this day memorable for all of his friends — and, it was definitely a day that I would never forget. Was it the end though? No.
When everyone arrived, dressed in matching butler/host/hostess attire, with our hairs done (thank you, roomie), looking all spiffy, we greeted our friends, inviting them in, asking them to remove their shoes and wash their hands. They were welcomed with open arms. No judgement. Blank slate. Thanksgiving is here. The room had a slight scent of pomegranate. The bar soap was switched out to a new one. The tables were cleaned and wiped down. The bed sheets were placed on the beds (and switched out :) to provide more space to the guests). The VR was set up. Music played in the background. Effort. Cleanliness. Two things I love.
What’s the twist? Is it just rolling sushi and placing odd things in sushi? Nope. How could a party be a party without a little fun and games? The host and hostess — but, this time, the host took the lead. Freedom at my hands, a weight lifted off my shoulders — a moment in which I could freely live in and enjoy while still having some but minor responsibilities. KM was in charge, and I gladly let him sit in the throne.
When everyone gathered, he announced that there were a few rules:
1) Lights off. Dining in the dark.
2) The only light that could be provided was from the balloon lights and the glow sticks.
3) Whatever you make, you hand it off to someone else to eat — in the spirit of Thanksgiving. A holiday of giving to others.
-laughs- The third one was funny. The minute, caring actions, of providing space when needed, of analyzing the guest’s responses to certain phrases/actions, of determining what the guests like and don’t like based on the conceived notions we have…observation is great. Psychology is better. Social acuity is the best.
”One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
To be honest, I think everyone, if not most, enjoyed the event. It was a fun moment getting to know T, RS, and JJ better, people that I perhaps would have never talked to otherwise. The way that a 5th bed somehow popped up in the room and acted as a table was creative. There were so many small moments that impressed me. I’m happy to be at 42. Sincerely.
For about 30 minutes of the time, I excused myself and scrambled to complete my UoPeople assignment. A due date the day of Thanksgiving…cruel or I should have done the assignment a long time ago? Haha.
For about 10 minutes of the time, I excused myself once again to greet a kiddo in the hallway, sitting on the ground, grinning as I see him. He wanted to share his wonderful moments with him, his happiness that he had with his family. It’s Thanksgiving. A time of giving and sharing memories. He came back to finish his 42 project. Eager kiddo, skipping out on 2–3 hours of his night to complete his project. Cute. Unfortunately, I was already occupied for the night, but it was wonderful to see another friend that I cared about. Happy Thanksgiving, again, mate. Thank you for coming back and greeting me.
Back to the event. We played party games, the typical PG ones at a gathering/get-together. Do I wish we had board games? Perhaps, but I loved the creativity of everyone. JJ suggested a balloon game to liven up the situation even more (I was playing with the VR). In addition, KM had set up a system in which you could lie back and relax on a bed and listen to music, beautiful sounds. Gentlemanly.
When the party ended, everyone helped clean up. I’ve been raised to clean-up after myself when I am a guest at someone’s place. I was pretty adamant on enforcing that rule because KM had organized this wonderful event for us, and I wanted to make sure he was not left with a mess. Tool or, perhaps, more? These keywords are embedded in my conversations or recollections with you to trigger my own memories.
With everyone leaving, finally, I received some clarity. I chose to acknowledge rather than generate different possibilities, alternative scenarios, varying explanations. She, who no longer wants to run, will stand and listen.
Anyways, as I lie down, reminiscing the moments, I sit back with a smile on my face. My cheeks become a rosy red and I can’t help but laugh out of joy and happiness about the sweet, cute memories. My roomie sees me drift off into my own thoughts, just grinning, and she teases me over the situation. I can’t help and show my appreciation toward those with humanity. My memories…I can’t help but smile.
42 is a family. Sincerely consider on joining 42. I hope that you could experience these moments as I have because, if there were a way to experience my world, I would gladly invite you forward.
